Redbud: April 20 - 26

This redbud tree graces my neighborhood in Rehoboth Beach.

Right after college, I spent a year as a volunteer in Appalachia. As I drove through the hollows of Kentucky, redbud trees were the first signs of spring. I've loved these trees ever since then. Their beauty never fails to give me hope. After the cold dark days of winter, these brilliant blossoms remind me that new life is just around the corner. Who doesn't need hope these days? Learn from nature. Death is not the final word. Even in the darkest moments, love can break through.

Practice

Become friends with a tree. Visit it through all the seasons. Spend time under its branches. Listen to the wind as it blows through its leaves. Let your roots sink into the earth. Let your limbs reach to the sky. Be still and know.

In the meantime, here's a springtime meditation.

Stop whatever you are doing. Shift your awareness to here and now. Show up in your life just as it is. Feel gravity supporting you. No need to hold the world on your shoulders. Allow the earth to nurture and shelter you as it has done your whole life long.

Feel your roots sink deep into the ground. Drink in the water and nutrients you need this day. It might seem like nothing is happening beneath the surface of your life. Maybe it feels like the season of winter. In the right time and in the right place, tiny buds emerge. Trust new life is stirring deep within. Believe in the promise of spring.

Reach your limbs to the sky. Feel the warmth of the new day. Be surrounded by light and love. Everything you need this day is already given. Simply receive. Allow yourself to be transformed as leaves turn sunlight into edible energy. Freely give.

Be a tree, standing between heaven and earth.